Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edison, NJ and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $3,184 in Edison, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $18,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Edison, NJ, United States
Monterrey, Mexico
Edison, NJ
🇺🇸 United States
$3,184
/mo nomad
Monterrey
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,641
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Edison, NJ and in Monterrey

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Edison, NJ and in Monterrey actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,184 in Edison, NJ versus $1,641 in Monterrey.

  • Edison, NJ $3,184
  • Monterrey $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,479 in Edison, NJ versus $2,573 in Monterrey.

  • Edison, NJ $4,479
  • Monterrey $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,774 in Edison, NJ versus $3,504 in Monterrey.

  • Edison, NJ $5,774
  • Monterrey $3,504

Living in Edison, NJ is roughly 94% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Edison, NJ 136% above, Monterrey 21% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Edison, NJ
Monterrey
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.20 $18.20
$13.37 MX$251
36.13%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.7 $60.7
$47.95 MX$900
26.59%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.83 $8.83
$10.79 MX$203
-18.16%
Cappuccino
$4.09 $4.09
$3.77 MX$70.7
8.49%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.03 $1.03
$1.51 MX$28.37
-31.79%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.99 $0.99
$1.03 MX$19.33
-3.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.59 $3.59
$2.48 MX$46.60
44.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.13 $7.13
$4.36 MX$81.8
63.53%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Edison, NJ
Monterrey
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.01 $1.01
$1.89 MX$35.58
-46.56%
White Bread (500g)
$3.26 $3.26
$2.85 MX$53.5
14.39%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$6.16 $6.16
$1.86 MX$34.86
231.18%
Eggs
$2.44 $2.44
$2.47 MX$46.31
-1.21%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.46 $13.46
$11.81 MX$222
13.97%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.43 $10.43
$8.97 MX$168
16.28%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.10 $20.10
$12.57 MX$236
59.90%
Apples (1kg)
$5.95 $5.95
$3.20 MX$60.0
85.94%
Banana (1kg)
$1.50 $1.50
$1.50 MX$28.23
-
Oranges (1kg)
$4.33 $4.33
$2.12 MX$39.90
104.25%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.22 $5.22
$2.33 MX$43.82
124.03%
Potato (1kg)
$3.09 $3.09
$2.22 MX$41.75
39.19%
Onion (1kg)
$3.06 $3.06
$2.58 MX$48.54
18.60%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.03 $3.03
$1.45 MX$27.15
108.97%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.96 $1.96
$1.22 MX$22.94
60.66%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.81 $9.81
$4.80 MX$90.1
104.38%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.73 $14.73
$13.30 MX$250
10.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.86 $1.86
$1.93 MX$36.28
-3.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.52 $3.52
$2.86 MX$53.6
23.08%
🚌 Getting Around
Edison, NJ
Monterrey
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$5.92 $5.92
$0.80 MX$15.00
640.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$196 $196
$30.94 MX$581
534.07%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 $3.02
$1.83 MX$34.42
65.03%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.94 $0.94
$1.06 MX$19.86
-11.32%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$42.34 $42.34
$10.82 MX$203
291.31%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.88 $0.88
$1.47 MX$27.65
-40.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.3K $27.3K
$24.1K MX$452.3K
13.33%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.7K $25.7K
$23.5K MX$442.0K
9.36%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Edison, NJ
Monterrey
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$174 $174
$115 MX$2,152
52.15%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$51.8 $51.8
$26.37 MX$495
96.59%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$49.50 $49.50
$25.70 MX$483
92.61%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Edison, NJ
Monterrey
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$22.21 $22.21
$30.53 MX$573
-27.25%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$21.27 MX$400
-
Cinema Ticket
$14.73 $14.73
$4.96 MX$93.1
196.98%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Edison, NJ
Monterrey
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,738 $1,738
$679 MX$12.7K
156.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$20.3K $20.3K
$14.2K MX$266.4K
43.19%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Edison, NJ
Monterrey
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.82 $49.82
$72.2 MX$1,356
-31.00%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$80.0 $80.0
$41.94 MX$788
90.80%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$59.8 $59.8
$107 MX$2,019
-44.34%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.6 $88.6
$119 MX$2,228
-25.33%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Edison, NJ
Monterrey
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,127 $2,127
$1,018 MX$19.1K
109.05%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,834 $1,834
$722 MX$13.6K
154.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,152 $3,152
$1,966 MX$36.9K
60.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,822 $2,822
$1,416 MX$26.6K
99.32%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$4,203 MX$78.9K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$2,782 MX$52.2K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Edison, NJ
Monterrey
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$7,192 $7,192
$1,096 MX$20.6K
556.36%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.57
11.79
-44.27%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Edison, NJ: November 1, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Edison, NJ
$1.8K
Monterrey
$722 60.7% $1.1K
Groceries & Markets
Edison, NJ
$409
Monterrey
$302 26.1% $107
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Edison, NJ
$276
Monterrey
$167 39.5% $109
Eating Out
Edison, NJ
$261
Monterrey
$216 17.4% $46
Getting Around
Edison, NJ
$228
Monterrey
$41 81.9% $186
Clothing & Footwear
Edison, NJ
$125
Monterrey
$153 22.3% $28
Sport & Entertainment
Edison, NJ
$52
Monterrey
$40 21.7% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,127 in Edison, NJ and $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Edison, NJ pays about 6.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Edison, NJ vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $409 vs $302 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Edison, NJ
🇲🇽 Monterrey
🕒 Local time
07:21 7:21 AM
06:21 6:21 AM
1 h behind Edison, NJ
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
107,588
1,142,994
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Edison, NJ Monterrey 2,910 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Edison, NJ
  • Monterrey

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Edison, NJ vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Edison, NJ and in Monterrey?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,184 in Edison, NJ and $1,641 in Monterrey, so Monterrey is about 48% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Edison, NJ or Monterrey?
Average pay in Edison, NJ is about 6.6 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Edison, NJ and in Monterrey?
Rent for a central apartment: $2,127 in Edison, NJ versus $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do commuting costs compare in Edison, NJ and in Monterrey?
A monthly transit pass in Monterrey runs roughly 84% less than in Edison, NJ. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Edison, NJ and Monterrey?
Childcare runs $1,738 in Edison, NJ versus $679 in Monterrey. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
At $1,641 in Monterrey versus $3,184 in Edison, NJ, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Edison, NJ. The gap between the two cities makes Monterrey the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Edison, NJ and Monterrey?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
Where should expats move: Edison, NJ or Monterrey?
Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Edison, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Edison, NJ vs other spots: cost of living compared

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